Can I get rabies if my vaccinated cat scratched me after bat exposure?

Question

My vaccinated cat was in the same room as bat on june 9th. It was 32 days ago. The bat was dead. Unsure of any encounter or exposure from bat to cat. That same day my cat poked me with his claws. Went to ER and cat went to get booster shot for rabies three days later from exposure. Made it thru 10 day quarantine. I was told couple of days ago there could have been exposure to me from bat saliva on cats claws when poked me. What kind of risk of exposure am i at?

Sara Farmer, DVM · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, that would be a question for your physician since we are unqualified to comment on problems with people. It sounds like you went to the ER and they determined that there was no need for post-exposure prophylaxis. You could double check with the public health department in your area to make sure. I would think that it would be very unlikely that your cat would have clawed the bat in the mouth and then immediately clawed you to transmit rabies. In the future, keep in mind that a bat can be tested for rabies if there is concern about exposure to people.

Can I get rabies if my vaccinated cat scratched me after bat exposure?

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